Which Lip Product Is Perfect For You?

by BR Tabatha

My mother's makeup stash felt like a treasure trove when I was a girl. I spent hours gazing adoringly at her products, but it was the lipstick that I most admired. It appeared the epitome of glamour, of sophistication, and on the odd occasion when she dabbed a little upon my lips I felt so grown up. My how times have changed. Back then the basic bullet lipstick seemed to be all that was on offer for our lips, and a cream formula was the rage. If you wanted to nourish your lips Vaseline was the go. Balms may have existed, but not in my household. These days though? The market is filled with lip products of all types. So what's what? And what might be best for you? Check out our lip lovers list!

The Balm

A good lip balm is a basic but must-have product. It nourishes, it hydrates, it gives a healthy look without being too in your face. It's not sticky. It can come clear or tinted, if you'd like a bit of colour. And it's easy to apply without a mirror. Just run it over your lips and go. 

The Stick

With quite literally hundreds upon hundreds of millions of lipsticks sold a year, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't recognise a little bullet of gorgeousness when they see one. Lipsticks come in a variety of formulas, such as matte, velvet, shiny and cream, and within those formats you'll find variations in pigmentation. The right lipstick for you depends on the depth of colour you'd like to achieve, how often you want to reapply, not to mention how your lips tolerate a formula. Hydrated lips can rock a matte, whereas if your lips tend on the drier side a creamier lipstick's for you.

The Liquid

There was a time not that long ago where liquid lipsticks were all the rage. While they're still popular, they're no longer the be-all and end-all, as many of us with drier lips discovered we didn't enjoy the puckered, flaky look that a liquid lip can create... or the time and precision it takes to achieve a perfect lip line. (I once stuffed up a red liquid lip so many times I looked like the Joker from Batman. No joke.) If you are keen to go the liquid route, make sure you exfoliate first, then apply balm and let it sink in (or wipe of the excess) before applying the liquid lip.

A good exfoliation and hydration is what you'll also want do to too if you're going to try...

The Tint

A lip tint creates that 'just bit into a berry' look upon one's lips. The tint itself can look like a tricky wee beastie to deal with, but in all honesty it's an easy product to play with. Just take a little on your fingertip, dab, dab, dab on your inner lip area working it out, then you're good to go with a flush of colour that lasts and lasts. (Do wash your hands quickly after the dabbing bit or you'll look like you've got cochineal all over your fingertip).

The Gloss

Want a lush lipped look in a single swipe? A gloss is your go to! Shiny, plumping, pretty; they come in an array of shades and can offer a hint of colour or a goodly dose of pigment. Easy to apply, they're also versatile and can be worn alone or on top of a lipstick.

The Topper

Glittery, glimmery, shimmery - lip toppers can be applied on top of lipsticks of the liquid or solid variety to give your lips an extra kick of glamour while giving them a plumper appearance. If you're more refrained in your appearance a lip topper might not be for you - it's kind of like a disco ball in makeup form.

The Mask

Lip masks are kind of like lip balms on steroids. You can wear one during the day, but the ideal is to apply it at night, go nigh nighs and wake up with soft lips. I fell victim to the Laneige lip mask craze and, as much as I love how it feels on my lips and the strawberry scent is delicious, I get the same result after using Aquaphor, which is a whole lot cheaper.

SO many options, so many pretties, only one pair of lips... lucky there are plenty of hours in a day!

So, my lipped-up lovelies, tell me... Which lip product is your favourite? If you could only have one what would it be and why? Get chatting below!